House of Braves Talk

August 06, 2008

Wake Me When It’s Over………

Curt

It seems that the Braves traded not only Mark Teixeira last Monday, but also their collective will to compete. Since the much anticipated swap, the Braves are 2-6, getting outscored 48-26 in the process. Nine of the runs the Braves scored came in one game. They were shut out twice. Not since Michael Vick broke his ankle has a team gone in the tank so quickly. This seems like a ship without a rudder, or more adroitly, a captain. Seems to me that when the times are at their toughest, the manager becomes the source of stability needed to eke out some wins.

This team has been decimated by injuries, no question, but even with all that has gone against them, the Braves still managed to have the second best team ERA in the NL. They had given up the fewest runs in the league for a bulk of the season. And most surprisingly of all, they had the 3rd highest on base percentage.

So why is it that the team is looking in from the outside for the 3rd straight year? Why is it that Atlanta was forced to be a seller, albeit a wise one, for the first time since 1990? Because the team is as unclutch as is possible. They can’t win close games. They can’t win on the road, or lately anywhere. As the GM for the Orlando Magic once put it, ”We can’t win at home. We can’t win on the road. As general manager, I just can’t figure out where else to play.” They can’t hit with runners on, particularly late in games or with two outs or both. Has there ever been a team that filled you with less confidence with the bases loaded and no or one out(s) than this Braves one? How many times have we seen this team get one run out of that scenario and that coming when someone (Frenchy) hit into a double play? Aren’t these signs of something amiss in the clubhouse? Aren’t these signs that the Braves have to deeply rethink where they are headed as an organization? Isn’t it past time for the Braves to start taking the business of baseball seriously again? Isn’t it time for Bobby Cox to go? Sense here is that this is not a team on the cusp of a return to greatness. This is a team with deep and plausible flaws that only an exorcism will cure.

p.s. Expect to see Mike Hampton pitching for the Braves next season, taking Hudson’s slot in the rotation, with the team doing little to address SP needs beyond praying that Smoltz has one more year in him.

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August 05, 2008

Skip Caray, A Eulogy

Ballpark Frank

By the mid nineties I had been listening to Skip Caray call Braves baseball games on radio and television for almost two decades. I had grown used to him and I expected him to be there.

Around that time a fellow fanatic asked me if I had caught the TV broadcast of the previous night’s Braves game with the Colorado Rockies – an expansion team that the Braves dominated in those years. I forget why, but I hadn’t. We had lost, been upset by these lowly Rockies that we had owned, but my friend and fellow fan wasn’t interested in telling me about the game. He couldn’t wait to tell me how Skip Caray ended his commentary for the night, the button he put on the broadcast at the end: ”The Braves were looking at this game like a walk in the park. Little did they know they were going to be mugged along the way.”
At that moment I had an epiphany: Skip Caray was simply the best baseball commentator I had experienced.

With his combination of skills he was now, to me, the Ted Williams of broadcasters – better than Dizzy Dean, Mel Allen, Red Barber, or Curt Gowdy.

I had enjoyed him all those years, but I had also taken him for granted all those years. Now I followed him with more intent. And I was always disappointed when he wasn’t in the booth. Everyone else seemed boring or amateurish by comparison.

Skip was unique — a one-of-a-kind combination of honesty, frankness, wisdom, humility and wit, a wit oftentimes acerbic but never cruel.

He delivered what he had to say with flawless diction and clarity. Did you ever hear him fall back on “uh” or “you know” or “I mean”?

But, unlike so many people with a command of the language, Skip wasn’t grand or showy about it. He could use Shakspeare and not come off as an out-of-place snob. He often made a particular allusion to Hamlet to help point to the inevitability of a fourth ball on an intentional walk: ” …and as the night follows the day.”
And he always deferred to those co-announcers who had actually played major league baseball. He knew they had a knowledge of the game that can only come with the experience of the game and not just the observance of it.

There was a strong simplicity about the way Skip Caray did his job. A few weeks ago he was doing the TV broadcast. The Braves were trailing by a run in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, but had men in scoring position. It was a moment of great hope. That hope was shattered when the batter struck out. Skip simply said, “Totals and highlights after this.” What he DIDN’T say at that moment said it all. His respect for his listeners — his fellow fans — kept him from stating the obvious. He allowed us to feel the impact of the moment.

There was nothing added or extra about him, nothing false. His integrity wouldn’t allow it. He was the best there ever was.

So long, Skip

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August 05, 2008

Braves Avoid Sweep But Still Get Bad News

On the Field with JB
Check out www.braveslaunchingpad.com

~JB

Yup, I sweated right through my clothes yesterday but I got to see my Braves play baseball on a Sunday afternoon. I love it. They must have known I was coming because behind Jorge Campillo’s shut out pitching, we got a win.

I take what I can get.

I will tell you this much. Watching Campillo this year makes me feel excited about seeing him in the rotation for ‘09. There’s no reason he should miss out after the job he’s done. Another shutout for Jorge makes it his second of the year and the SIXTH time he’s given us a quality start in which he’s allowed two or less runs! Gonzalez didn’t get the save but I love watching him pitch in the ninth inning.

And since I have to catch up a little and I’m on the topic of pitching… Charlie Morton had a decent start on Saturday. The problem was, he went head to head with Sabbathia and run support was hard to come by. Speaking of CC, he’s going to be a free agent this winter and we’ve got some contract money clearing up. Anyone else drool at the thought of signing the lefty?

Yesterday’s 5-0 win was highlighted by a Casey Kotchman RBI double, as well as runs driven in by Francoeur, Escobar, and Infante. Surprisingly, the Braves got to Sheets and didn’t look back. It was nice to see Casey get an RBI. He’s been off to a slow start since switching teams and leagues and I’m really pulling for him. Yesterday was my first glimpse at Kotch in a Braves uniform and although it’s with excitement I welcome him to the team, it’s sad to go to a game in August with a totally different atmosphere. It’s equally sad to not see Chipper, McCann, or Tex.

The late west coast game hasn’t wrapped up yet but Jurrjens got us started tonight and Glavine is expected to give us a start in San Francisco. As I type the boys are down 1-4 in the 7th.

Skip, I love you

Of course, I’m extremely saddened by the loss of Skip Caray. A voice that has become as familiar to me as my grandfather’s. I know everyone passes with time but to me, at 68 Skip was still too young. We’ll miss you Skip.

I have a tribute page for Skip at The Launching Pad. If you’d like to swing by and leave a note, memory, favorite “Skip-ism” come by and leave a comment. Thanks so much, Braves fans.

And…

Keep Choppin’

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